The 3 Steps to Success at Anything

Many seek the simple formula for success. That’s true of content marketing, culinary mastery, improving your golf game, and with life in general.

So here it is:

Attempt

Observe

Repeat

At least when it comes to online publishing and marketing, there’s a lot more training and advice available these days, unlike 15 years ago when I attempted and initially failed. But you still might find yourself putting off the attempt, allowing every little nagging issue to keep you from going live.

Here’s the truth. You’ll never be truly ready, because the process doesn’t actually start until you start.

Successful people start before they feel ready. And the only way to absolutely, positively know if your content rocks is to put it out there.

The difference between true failure and just another leg on the journey to success are steps two and three. Pay careful attention to what happens when you try, figure out why, and carry on with a smarter perspective.

Reader Comments (24)

I started blogging two years ago for one reason … I wanted to improve my speaking in a little Toastmasters club. I thought writing my thoughts out would make me a more creative speaker. It’s funny how Attempting one little thing can lead to some pretty amazing changes in your life.

Yes, start before you’re ready and stop the damn dreaming already.

Just do, then follow Brian Clark’s step one and two. There, I made a rhyme. See I’m now a creative writer 😉

I had a lot of fun with step 1. Now I’m working away like an eager beaver on 2 and 3.

Agreed. There is a massive difference between reading/learning about something, and actually DOING it. Only by jumping in the water will you truly learn how to swim, and the longer you stay away from taking that step, the longer your learning process will be.

I love the simplicity of this formula. Specially in the internet age. Attempt, observe, repeat really does crystalize alot of essentials.

Frankly, the overabundance of information online can be a blessing and a curse. On the one hand all the resources are wonderful for anyone wanting to establish a presence. But then the deluge of info can be overwhelming and actually inhibit progress, since there’s always something new to read, to learn and discover. It can make you think you are never quite ready to venture out.

Short but to the point. START – seems simple but for a lot of people different forms of FEAR come up. I know because I had to deal with FEAR when I started my first venture.

What I have learned is that you can read 100 books and try to learn everything before you start but the fear will still be there. At a certain point you have to take that leap of faith. No one else can do for you. And what you will discover is that you learn more in the first day by doing than by reading a 100 books. And that experience creates a mindshift.

Been using this as guidance as I navigate our new reality (Newtowner). I must post something; and if it’s not right, it will be closer next time. Great advice for work; better advice for life. THANK YOU.

I like it. I’d have to say, though, I’d add one more step in between “Observe” and “Repeat.”

Record.

So many times I’ve seen great concepts hit Point B, but they don’t record what they did to get from Point A. Then you get into the inability to fully explain the process down the road, because time can alter even the more sure of notions.

If you take the time to record what you’ve observed, not only can you fully explain your actions, but you can go back later and take new things you learned on other projects and see if those ideas could have directed your action on a different course.

Strongly Agree but there is one thing most of the people don’t even attempt for the fear of failing and many of them when attempt and observe dont want to repeat the process and again they fail and then complain which is not fine…

Excellent article. I’ll be committing the formula to memory. It’s amazing that something so desirable – the value of preparation- can also become a negative when you feel unprepared and put off starting. But few things are perfect from the start. Everything is improved through a process of tweaking. This is a lesson I’m learning gradually.

Thanks for the post. Attempt, observe and repeat uses learning from experience. Affiliate marketing and for that matter marketing in general actually relies on these three same steps. Market research helps much like key word research.

We are lucky that we can change from short to long tail word searches to determine where our market is looking. Really want to nail down these second and third steps with better observation skills. I have figured out I know a lot less than I realize. The truth is this makes the business continually interesting.

Love this post… short, simple, and sweet. When you read other articles on how to become successful, they list so many different steps to the point where it’s overwhelming. And when people feel overwhelmed, they usually stall putting their content out there. When all we really need to do is attempt, observe, and repeat.